Month: November 2016

Or, I “Won” The National Novel Writing Month!

After 28 days of writing furiously, and at least one weekend of record-breaking writing sprints, I finished the first 50,000 words of Beasts of Vegas #3! I’m excited, exhausted, and exhilarated all at the same time. Now, on to the re-writes! 🙂

Or, The Most Stressful Three Months Of My Life

My husband and I bought a home over the summer that I naively believed was NOT a fixer-upper. Yes, it’s older (built in 1965). Yes, there were some things I wanted to update. But I didn’t imagine I’d be living in a construction zone for almost three months or that I’d only feel finished with all my projects this week!

Here’s my remodeling journey… 🙂

Refinishing the Kitchen Cabinets

This was the biggest chore (for me) and what I’m most proud of. The original kitchen had two-tone wood cabinets that were dark and old-fashioned. My hubby felt they reminded him of a trailer or a boat cabin. They definitely weren’t our style! LOL Before the floors even went in, I removed all the cupboards, sanded all surfaces, then sprayed everything what was supposed to be an elegant, sophisticated blue-gray color. It ended up with a bit more lavender in it than we expected, but I love my kitchen! It’s much brighter and fresher while still keeping the kooky 1960s style and function.

2. New Tile Floors

The house came with wall-to-wall baby blue carpeting (even in the bathrooms!) that no one liked. I wasn’t sure, but it looked and smelled like the 1980s. This was our first priority to change. My hubby and I tore out all the old flooring ourselves and then hired an amazing crew to lay wood-grain tile throughout the entire house. Except in my daughter’s room. She had to be unique and requested new carpet. After a few cleanings, the floors are unbelievably beautiful! It makes the rooms look bigger and will keep us cool in the summer. Bonus–they’re much easier to clean with kids and dogs running around.

3. My Darling Daughter’s Room

My daughter got into the remodeling game, too, requesting to remove part of a closet to add more room, to put up blackboard paint on two walls, and installing new turquoise carpet. It all came out beautifully.

4. Master Bedroom Closet

The one thing our master suite was missing was a true walk-in closet. So, though the cost really ate into our budget, we went ahead and hired a contractor. I’m so glad we did. It was worth every penny.

5. Misc. Touch-Ups

On top of everything else, there were plenty of smaller projects to take up my time. Everything from painting to installing a new fridge with a water line.

I’m not ready to get my contractor’s license and flip houses, but the experience has been fulfilling and educational. I’m excited to begin living in the house rather than working on the house. I’m looking forward to years and years of comfortable, happy existence.

Do you have a remodeling story? Share in the comments!

P.S. I’m headed back to work on Beasts of Vegas #3, my NaNoWriMo 2016 project. Only 7 days until deadline. My current word count => 37,000.

Or, My Personal Half-Way Point

I’ve been lucky this year. My NaNoWriMo journey is going smoothly. The first couple days, I have to admit, were tough. It took a while to get a rhythm. I couldn’t squeeze in the time, couldn’t think what to write. The story came only in stuttered bits. But by the third day I had the first half of Beasts of Vegas #3 plotted and had figured out how to write for thirty minutes before work and thirty minutes after. I found my stride.

Now, on day 14 I’m past the 28,ooo word mark! I’m really excited to finish this story and share it with you all soon. Finally, Maksim Volk gets his own story. If you want to see how the Beasts of Vegas begins, click for the print and kindle versions on Amazon.

How is your NaNoWriMo journey going? Let me know how it’s been for you. 🙂 And good luck!